L-R Former Vice President Joe Biden, Donald Trump After several world leaders were captured on video apparently laughing at Donald Trump, Trump responded by calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “two-face,” canceled his press conference for the day, and left the NATO summit in London early.
ICYMI, a hot mic picked up Canadian PM Justin Trudeau & others at NATO apparently talking about Pres Trump’s lateness, extended press conferences & Trump’s team’s jaws dropping in response to Trump’s comments at NATO. And now, Trump seems to have cancelled his 10:30 a.m. presser. https://t.co/HeHTZqEP2L
The video clip, which went viral, is now part of a campaign ad for former Vice President Joe Biden. In the spot, Biden calls Trump ‘dangerously incompetent and incapable of world leadership.’
The world is laughing at President Trump. They see him for what he really is: dangerously incompetent and incapable of world leadership. We cannot give him four more years as commander in chief. pic.twitter.com/IR8K2k54YQ
Matt Zarley & Jake Matt Zarley released his new music video today, “Don’t Save It All For Christmas Day,” which shares a true nugget of wisdom: express that love and joy for people in your life every day, not just those ‘special’ moments during the holidays. Longtime readers will recognize a cameo by my handsome hubby, Michael, and our beautiful mama dog, Sabrina, at the beginning of the video. Matt asked folks for clips of love being freely shared, and he included this clip we’ve long-loved of Sabrina who lived for kissing Michael every night. Matt’s impressive vocals go from pensive to powerful on the touching ballad originally recorded by Celine Dion in 1998. Since then its been covered by Christian group Avalon (2000) and American Idol alum Clay Aiken (2004). But, I’m thinking Matt pretty much nails it here. Merry merry, folks. Don’t save it up… 🙂
Out Olympic silver medalist Gus Kenworthy is making one more run at the Olympics, but this time he’ll be skiing Brit-style. After two Winter Olympics competing for the United States, Kenworthy, 28, says he will switch to represent Great Britain after his application to switch to GB Snowsport was approved Tuesday by the International Ski Federation. The handsome Gus says the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will most likely be his last. Born in Chelmsford, England, his family relocated to Colorado in the US when he was three. His mother is British and he holds a British passport. He currently resides in Los Angeles. Kenworthy shared with his Instagram followers: “I am very excited to announce that I will be competing for Team GB on the road to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. “Although I was raised in the US I was born in the UK and my mum is British through-and-through. She has been my #1 fan for my entire life and has proudly stood at the bottom of the mountain waving the stars and stripes in support of me for two Olympic cycles. “Now, in what is sure to be my last Olympic appearance, I’d like to return the honor by proudly holding up the British flag for her.”
Kenworthy told the BBC: “I think for sure 2022 is my final Olympic Games, and I decided I wanted to do it for my mum.” “I have no doubt in my mind that I could go back for the US, but this is definitely going to be a much smoother approach for me. This gives me a path where I’m not taking a place away from one of my friends in the US.”
Adam Roberts (photo: WadleyWadley) Singer Adam Roberts has just released his debut single and music video, “Glue.” Roberts created the track and video while on the road with the National Broadway Tour of Miss Saigon, integrating different musical genres, changing up musical and visual textures. In true collaborative form, several musicians and actors in the Miss Saigon company took part as the creative team for “Glue” including choreography, videography, orchestrations, recording session players, and the music video love interest played by Garrick Macatangay. Beautifully shot and directed by Anna-Lee Wright, the video takes the viewer on a rollercoaster ride of romance as Roberts’ vocals shift with equal ease from effortless, whispering falsetto to rich, robust musical muscle. Roberts describes his songs as being, “Based in truth and experience.” “‘Glue’ is about getting out of your own way, taking a risk and giving love a chance to bloom and flourish despite doubts or fears of the unknown,” says the artist. “Something I believe we can all relate to in some capacity.”
I recently spoke with the handsome artist about the new track and video.
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The Randy Report: Congratulations on the debut single. Musically, “Glue” moves in and out of different tempos and sonic textures. What inspired the change-ups? Adam Roberts: My favorite type of music that impacts me most is the kind that builds, is dynamic and that takes me on a ride. I wanted the mood of the song to musically fit the narrative journey of the text. For instance, I crafted the middle orchestral section paired with my vocals to be indicative of the ebb and flow of a relationship and to have a yearning quality to it, while the final chorus has more of a sprinting urgency to it. TRR: With years of experience on stage in Broadway shows, did you find story-telling via the recording studio to require a different approach? AR: Amazing question! I did actually. On stage, you’re playing to the back row. In a recording studio booth, it’s just you and a mic several inches from your face, which is much more intimate. I found that I allowed myself to let go of the physical and facial expressions and reroute the emotions into a more concentrated and zeroed-in manner, pouring it all into my voice. I was very strategic with how I played with a whispery softness versus a chesty belt or a chilly straight tone opposed to a ringing vibrato.
TRR: What do you do outside of music that contributes to your creativity? AR: I get my biggest kicks traveling the world because it broadens my horizons and helps me gain perspective. I never get so inspired as I do experiencing life outside of my comfort zone, in a new setting, surrounded by beauty in all its forms. If I’m not in a place financially to jet set, I take myself on a date wherever I am to have an adventure. Constantly shocking the system sparks new ideas and gets the juices flowing more-so than being sedimentary.
TRR: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given? AR: In a 1997 essay written by Mary Schmich she implores the reader to, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I try to abide by her wise words daily, training myself to be more brave than I innately really am. I recently hiked a scary, haunted, ghost tower in Bangkok alone and I was petrified. On the way down, I fractured my foot and spent the rest of my vacation in a cast sprawled out. Initially, I was bummed, but then I made the most of my forced downtime, picked up my guitar, and ended up writing some of the best songs to date by the pool. Climb the ghost tower! LOL
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Roberts made his Broadway debut in Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, which was followed by the critically-acclaimed Broadway revival of Pippin. Prior to his current gig in the national tour of Miss Saigon (where he covers the lead role of ‘Chris’), he traveled the country in the national company of Dirty Dancing. He also recently served as co-director/co-choreographer for Broadway Backwards, the annual celebration where men sing songs originally written for women and vice versa. In doing so, gay and lesbian stories are told through the great songs of musical theatre and sung by our favorite Broadway performers. “Glue” is available on iTunes here, and you can follow Adam Roberts on Instagram here.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg on the campaign trail (via Buttigieg campaign/FB) The New York Timesreports the political action committee that supports liberal veterans running for office has endorsed Mayor Pete Buttigieg in his run for the Democratic presidential nomination:
VoteVets, the political action committee that backs liberal veterans running for office, has endorsed Pete Buttigieg for president, the first major organization to support him.
The endorsement brings Mr. Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., and a former Navy officer who served in Afghanistan, new defenders in a 2020 Democratic presidential contest that has seen better known candidates drop out as polling shows early-state voters coalescing around the four leading candidates.
Jon Soltz, the co-founder and chairman of VoteVets, said that other campaigns weren’t taking on Mr. Buttigieg directly but that they were using opposition research to try and “hold back his momentum.”
We are PROUD to endorse Mayor @PeteButtigieg for President, today, on behalf of our 700,000 veterans, military families and civilian supporters. Pete has the experience to lead, and what it takes to beat Donald Trump! Read more here: https://t.co/uBYdWeU3GEpic.twitter.com/4qgEZLagYu
I will be a commander in chief who knows what it means to be sent abroad on the orders of a president—one who will keep America’s promise to those who’ve kept theirs. Thank you, @VoteVets. It is an honor to have your endorsement. https://t.co/etexaqBSOh
Donald Trump (image via Flickr/WhiteHouse) CNN reports that Donald Trump frequently doubts reports presented to him by the federal government’s intelligence community.
One of President Donald Trump’s most common responses to intelligence briefings is to doubt what he’s being told, former Deputy Director of Intelligence Susan Gordon said Tuesday. Gordon, an intelligence veteran of more than 30 years, said Monday that Trump had two typical responses to briefings. “One, ‘I don’t think that’s true,’” Gordon told the Women’s Foreign Policy Group. “The one is ‘I’m not sure I believe that,’” Gordon continued, “and the other is the second order and third order effects. ‘Why is that true? Why are we there? Why is this what you believe? Why do we do that?’ Those sorts of things.” Gordon’s remarks about the President at the group’s gathering may be her first since Trump veered from protocol to block her from rising to become the acting director of national intelligence after the July resignation of Dan Coats.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced details Tuesday for applying for free PrEP medications through the federal government. The new program – called Ready, Set, PrEP – will distribute pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications to help prevent people currently HIV-negative from becoming infected with the virus. Drugstore chains CVS Health, Walgreens and Rite Aid, which have a combined 21,000 locations across the country, will donate prescribing services for the program. Folks can go to the new website GetYourPrEP.com to apply for the medications or call toll free 855-447-8410. In order to qualify, an individual must be HIV-negative, lack prescription drug coverage, and obtain a valid prescription for the medication. Earlier this year, drugmaker Gilead Sciences announced it would donate 2.4 million bottles of Truvada to up to 200,000 uninsured people annually through 2030. Gilead is the manufacturer of both Truvada and Descovy, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for PrEP use on October 3 this year. They are the only approved drugs for use as PrEP by the FDA. In its announcement, Gilead said the offer would “transition to Descovy if it is approved for use as PrEP.” Gilead has also announced a generic version of Truvada will become available by 2020. Ready, Set, PrEP is part of the current administration’s ‘Ending the HIV Epidemic Plan’ which was announced during President Trump’s State of the Union address this year. The plan has a goal of reducing the number of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. by 75 percent in five years and by 90 percent in 10 years. Today’s news comes as the federal government is currently suing Gilead for patent infringement regarding PrEP. In a press release on November 6, the Health and Human Services Department announced the United States had filed a complaint in federal district court alleging Gilead had profited from research funded by hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and reaped billions from PrEP through the sale of Truvada® and Descovy®. Currently, a month supply of Truvada in the United States sells between $1,600 to $2,000 for those without prescription drug coverage, while in other parts of the world it is available for as low as $70. In 2018 alone, Gilead amassed $3 billion in the sale of Truvada.
Comedy writer Paul Rudnick tweets about White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, “Kellyanne told Fox News, ‘I’m not a woman who feels sorry for herself”, while feeling sorry for herself. She added, “I’m also in the Cats movie as Grizabella’s friend who, after she dies, steals her collar and sucks up to Judi Dench. My cat name is Kibbleskeeve.'”
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA50) GOP Congressman Duncan Hunter pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from campaign funds for his personal use. Expenditures included a weekend-long bachelor party and a $140,000 family vacation to Italy. Not an accounting mistake; not a ‘witch-hunt’ as he previously claimed. From the Department of Justice:
U.S. Representative Duncan D. Hunter pleaded guilty in federal court today to the major count in his indictment, admitting that he knowingly and willfully stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds that he and his wife used to maintain their lifestyle.
According to the plea agreement, Hunter and his wife, Margaret, who pleaded guilty in June 2019, illegally converted more than $150,000 in campaign funds from 2010 through 2016 to purchase goods and services for their personal use and enjoyment, and engaged in 30 or more illegal transactions using campaign funds for personal use.
As detailed in the indictment, the Hunters stole money from the campaign for items as inconsequential as fast food, movie tickets, and sneakers; as trivial as video games, Lego sets and Playdoh; as mundane as groceries, dog food, and utilities; and as self-indulgent as luxury hotels, overseas vacations and plane tickets for their family pet rabbits, Eggburt and Cadbury – all while their family was otherwise deeply in debt.
During the course of the conspiracy, the Hunters overdrew their bank account more than 1,100 times in a seven-year period resulting in $37,761 in “overdraft” and “insufficient funds” bank fees. They racked up $24,600 in finance charges, interest, and other fees related to late, over the limit, and returned payment fees for their credit cards. Hunter returns to court on March 17, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. for sentencing where he’ll face possibly five years in prison and $250,000 fine.
(stock photo via Depositphotos) Two gay men in Zambia were arrested for having gay sex in a private hotel room, and the High Court of Zambia has now sentenced the men to 15 years in prison for being intimate behind closed doors. The south-eastern African country, which retains its colonial-era laws, offers no legal protections for LGBTQ people. The men, Japhet Chataba and Steven Samba, booked the room in 2017. According to reports, a female worker peeked through a window and saw the men being intimate. Last week, a judge dismissed an appeal against their convictions for crimes against the order of nature (the legal term for gay sex in Zambia) sentencing them both to 15 years in prison. The U.S. ambassador to Zambia, Daniel Foote, said in a statement: “I was personally horrified to read about the sentencing of two men, who had a consensual relationship, which hurt absolutely no one.” Foote implored the government of Zambia to review the case but received a fervent backlash for speaking out. In an official embassy statement, Foote announced he was forced to cancel attending World AIDS Day events due to threats against him. “I was shocked at the venom and hate directed at me and my country, largely in the name of “Christian” values, by a small minority of Zambians,” wrote the ambassador. “I thought, perhaps incorrectly, that Christianity meant trying to live like our Lord, Jesus Christ. I am not qualified to sermonize, but I cannot imagine Jesus would have used bestiality comparisons or referred to his fellow human beings as “dogs,” or “worse than animals;” allusions made repeatedly by your countrymen and women about homosexuals.” Foote’s official statement also made mention of the $500 million in annual assistance Zambia receives from the United States saying, “In these countries were we contribute resources, this includes partnering in areas of mutual interest, and holding the recipient government accountable for its responsibilities under this partnership.”
In an interview with Sky News, President Lungu defended his country’s homophobic laws saying, “Even animals don’t do it, so why should we be forced to do it?…because we want to be smart, civilized and advanced and so on.” “If there are such countries which will allow bestiality, let them do it but not here,” he added. Ah, yes – the old ‘compare being gay to having sex with animals’ argument. How fresh, how new… Zambia’s president told Sky News his government will officially complain to the Trump administration over Foote’s remarks. (source: Sky News)
The U.S. ambassador to Zambia, Daniel Foote, said in a